Virginie Samson is Ready to Conquer at the Red Dragon Championships!

Red Paddle Co  are inviting teams from all over the world to compete in the Dragon World Championships  held on the 31st August and the 2nd September, on Lake Fuschlee Austria! Mixing fast, fun racing with a party vibe like no other. This event is an excellent opportunity to build a team of 4 paddlers and take part in a fun weekend of SUP racing action. Each race will vary in length and format, designed to not only test speed and power, but team camaraderie, coordination and determination! No matter what your ability – this event is for you!

The Red Dragon SUP, a 22-foot board has been specifically designed to strike fear into even the most experienced racers, before leaving them in their wake. The Red Paddle Co designed the four-person “to mix the intensity of SUP racing with the camaraderie of team spirit. The board can reach an incredible speed, whilst retaining the same features as most of the Race family. Don’t be duped by its size, this is one fast machine and with the power of eight arms driving paddles through the water, it is one of the fastest SUPs on the planet!”

Do you have what it takes to unleash the Dragon? French paddler and Red Paddle Co ambassador Virginie Samson does! Virginie talks to TotalSUP about her trip to Fuschlee in September!

Hi Virginie, Can you introduce yourself?

I am from Cannes, South-East France. I ride a Red Paddle Elite board the 12’6 and 14′ model, and the Dragon as well. I paddle in Monaco, Sainte Maxime, Fréjus, Hyères,  but also on the lakes in the Alps. Sometimes I venture further a field and recently I paddled in Tel Aviv.

Why is paddling on the Red Dragon exciting?

When we are all together on the board we all paddle at the same rhythm, and with the same movement. It is very efficient technique to learn. Paddling a dragon is a real core stability work out, if one person moves then we all must be ready to brace, it is a true test of your stability!

So why is Dragon SUP racing the perfect combination?

-There are 4 people to paddle the 22 kg board…. It means 5,5 kg per person… The lightest race board on earth.

-There 4 friends on a board so we talk a lot time passes quickly.

-There are 4 team mates on a board …. if one paddler is tired, no problem, there are 3 others keep the board going!

-There are 4 girls paddling hard: It is great to see the look on the faces of guys when we over take them! But seriously, being together, having fun, motivating each other is great!!! We can talk and paddle, truly a great experience. It is wonderful for us ladies to be out there!

Do you have a Dragon board to practice on?

Yes. Luckily, we have a board available, so it makes it easier to train together, but we tend to paddle both a normal size board and the Dragon. We often paddle our ‘normal’ size SUPs when practicing our technique. But being on the Dragon is great as we can film each other and make corrections on each other’s technique.

Who is in your team for the Dragon World Championships in August?

We are a group of friends; our team is called the “Dragons Angels” all ladies from different places and all have a different level of paddling. But we share one common bond, that is that we love stand-up paddling! The Dragon’s Angels Team for the Dragon’s world Championship Carine Mayer, Elena Moriggia, Karine Helaine, Rebecca Berthomieu, Rosanne Fritsch and obviously myself (Plus a paddler Julie, who isn’t available that weekend).

We started paddling the Dragon 2 years ago.  We have 6 ladies in the team of which 2 are racers, but the other paddlers are leisure paddlers. But we are motivated and we are getting better at paddling in unison, so competing in the Dragon World Championship will be a challenge for everyone. It will be a dream to meet other teams from all around the world!

HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO CONQUER THE DRAGON?

If so, for more information and to register your team for this awesome event follow this link!